Want an easy way to make money from your writing skills? Write and sell ebooks. These days the “books” you sell online don’t need to be 300 pages. They can be 30 pages; or even 10 pages.

How long would it take you to write a 10-page book?

Although Amazon’s Kindle book store has made writing AND publishing laughably easy — you can publish in minutes — many writers stumble. Here’s the reason: they fail to hustle.

This is understandable. You wrote your book. It was hard work. You published it to Amazon. The book’s now live, and available to millions of people. However, your sales are either weak, or non-existent.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been coaching several writers on ebook publishing and sales. It’s fun for me. However, these three writers had the same challenge: HUSTLE is a foreign concept to them. Not to me. I’m a copywriter, so I understand hustling.

What do I mean by “hustling?”

Hustle and sell your ebooks

Not so long ago, “hustling” for self-publishers meant loading their car with boxes of books and selling them anywhere they could: to bookshops, convenience stories, and even at weekend markets.

I’m a sucker for Westerns. Give me a book with a horse and a cowboy, and I’ll read it. I often spend an hour or two on the Kindle store, looking for Western novels I haven’t read — I read a lot, and I’m always looking for more books in my favorite genre.

So for heaven’s sake, remember readers like me, and ensure that your book’s description and tags relate to your book.

Tips #2 and #3 will help.

Once you’ve made your books easier to find on Amazon, however, that’s only a first step. Your books need to be visible where anyone who reads your kind of book is likely to hang out.

I’m not a fan of fake, or purchased reviews. Amazon hates them, and so do I. I’m a reader first — I became a writer because I love reading. Fake reviews make me grind my teeth and think unkind thoughts.

You should give away “free” copies to anyone who’s likely to give you a review. Publishers are happy to give away review copies, and if you’re a self-publisher, you’re a publisher.

Reviews are solid GOLD on Amazon.

You should be more than ready to give away 200 copies of your ebook in exchange for reviews. However — this is important — you need to form relationships with potential reviewers first. This takes time.

Alternatively, give away copies on Goodreads. Just create an account, and you’ll have access to the Author Program.

As I said, reviews are GOLD. Don’t freak out if you get some horrible reviews. They’re part of the game. A bad review or two is only to be expected.

3. Tell your readers who you are.

When I consider a book by a new author, I search the Web. If I can’t find the author’s site, I skip that author. I want to know that I’m buying a book by a real person.

Angela Booth is a copywriter, author published by major publishers, and writing teacher. She offers many guides, courses and classes to help writers to enhance their skills at her online store.
She also provides inspiration and motivation for writers on her writing blogs. Angela has been writing successfully since the late 1970s, and was online in the 1980s, long before the birth of the Web. Her novels and business books have been widely published.

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About Angela Booth

Angela Booth is a copywriter, author published by major publishers, and writing teacher. She offers many guides, courses and classes to help writers to enhance their skills at her online store.
She also provides inspiration and motivation for writers on her writing blogs. Angela has been writing successfully since the late 1970s, and was online in the 1980s, long before the birth of the Web. Her novels and business books have been widely published.
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